An estimated 6 million to 12 million head lice infestations happen each year among U.S. children ages 3 to 11, according to the CDC. Pediatricians, the CDC, and school nurses all say those kids should stay in class and return once treatment starts.
Mary Johnson
French high school students have blockaded their schools since late September over crowded classes, missing teachers, and run-down buildings, and the prime minister suspended high school classes nationwide. American students walk out too, but U.S. schools are run by states and thousands of local districts.
Arthur Chen
Catalina Foothills Unified near Tucson posted the highest 2025 state test scores of any Arizona district with at least 5,000 students, followed by Scottsdale, Higley, Vail, and Chandler. Here are all 50 districts ranked.
Kate Carter
Portland Public Schools released two plans that would close 14 or 11 schools starting in fall 2027, plus a third option to change nothing. The district's own schools enrolled 40,589 students in 2024-25, down 10.3% from 2017-18. The board is expected to vote in December.
Mary Johnson
Houston has more public schools than any other U.S. city, with 782, followed by Chicago, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and San Antonio. Here are the 25 cities with the most public schools and how many students they serve.
Kate Carter
PEN America counted 11,982 book bans in U.S. public schools in the 2025-26 school year, the most since it started tracking in 2021. More than 8,000 were in Texas, where a 2025 law set new rules for library books, and some districts used AI to pick titles.
Mary Johnson
BASIS Chandler posted the highest 2025 state test scores of any Arizona public high school with at least 500 students. Arizona College Prep in Chandler Unified was the top traditional district school. Here are the top 25.
Mary Johnson
There are 1,673 public career and technical schools in the country, and two-thirds of them report zero students. That is not a mistake. It reveals how the model actually works: most are shared-time centers where students stay enrolled at their home high school and come over for half a day.
Arthur Chen
BASIS Scottsdale, Sequoya Elementary, Cocopah Middle School, and Desert Mountain High School posted the top 2025 state test scores among Scottsdale's public schools. Here is every Scottsdale-area public school with scores, by level.
Mary Johnson
An Ohio diploma takes more than passing classes. Students in the class of 2023 and later need 20 credits, a competency score on two state tests or an approved alternative, and two diploma seals. Here is each piece, with the rules in state law.
Kate Carter
About 1 in 5 students ages 12 to 18 say they were bullied at school, and only 44% of them told a teacher or another adult there. These are the warning signs federal guidance tells parents to look for, and who to contact when you see them.
Kate Carter
U.S. public schools enrolled 3.97 million ninth graders in 2024-25, more than any other grade, and 3.42 million first graders, fewer than any other. Here is the enrollment for every grade from pre-K through 12th.
Kate Carter
Treasury and the IRS released proposed rules for the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, which starts January 1, 2027. Donors could cut their federal taxes by up to $1,700 for gifts to scholarship groups in the 30 states that have opted in. Critics say most of the money will flow to private school families.
Mary Johnson
U.S. public schools employ about 3.15 million full-time-equivalent teachers in 49 states and D.C. with reported data. Texas has the most, with 369,150, even though California enrolls more students. Here is every state, with students per teacher.
Arthur Chen
Alpha Chicago, a private school where students learn core subjects from AI software in about two hours a day, opened September 8 in the Loop. Adults called guides replace teachers. Tuition is $55,000.
Mary Johnson
North Carolina students need 22 credits to graduate, and this year's freshmen are the first who must pass a computer science course. State law also bars local school boards from requiring extra credits. Here are the rules for each class, course by course.
Arthur Chen
Georgia's four-year high school graduation rate rose to 88.5% for the class of 2026, up from 87.2%, the state Department of Education said Monday. Most districts topped 90%, while several of metro Atlanta's biggest fell below it. Here are the rates for 27 districts.
Kate Carter
From an angsty chatbot at a Dayton alternative school to AI math tutors in Wichita, districts are testing AI on their own. A Stanford review of more than 800 papers found only 20 rigorous studies of whether AI tools actually change outcomes for students or teachers.
Arthur Chen
California's Real Food, Healthy Kids Act requires schools to start phasing out ultra-processed foods by July 2029. A Stanford Medicine study of 20 San Joaquin Valley districts found food service directors expect tight budgets, thin staffing, supply problems, and kitchens that can't handle scratch cooking.
Mary Johnson
In 21 of the 41 states with complete federal data, more than half of public school students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. New Mexico is highest at 89.6%, and New Hampshire is lowest at 24%. Here is every state, and why some are missing.
Arthur Chen
